kscans

Chapter 265 - Coronation Ceremony

I placed the crown, whose hefty weight belied its complete lack of protection, on the stand beside my chair. Next to it, I set the royal scepter, which looked as if it would snap at the first attempt to parry a sword. The sword at my hip was adorned with gold and silver, its hilt embedded with jewels. It looked impractical.

Well, from this day forward, if a situation ever arose where I had to draw this, it would mean I had already lost.

I was taking a brief rest, sitting in the chair of my father's office, a room I had visited countless times as his subordinate. The stiff coronation rites were finally over. The ceremony itself was simple enough. No matter how grand, all I had to do was proceed according to protocol. There would be no surprises.

"The real problem is what comes next."

"Your Majesty?"

Catching my murmur, the man standing before me turned with a quizzical look. Duke Yelberg. The kingdom's Foreign Minister. He was also my brother-in-law, my older sister's husband. He was the only one in the room. Neither Duke Grynisias, the Chancellor, nor Marquis Tembelg, the Knight Commander, were present. That was because among my relatives, he was the closest to a neutral party.

"How were things in the waiting room?"

"More or less as you predicted, I would say. Princess Doriustia made a jest about the modesty of Princess Alfina's attire, and made a sarcastic remark as if it were the Lord of Calamity's fault."

"How quaint."

"Indeed. My wife made no particular response."

Doriustia had a strong rivalry with Alfina. In her mind, her sister-in-law and husband were probably just stuck on the frontier, the front line of the calamity. Meanwhile, she herself was the future Grand Duchess. My other sister would likely side with Doriustia, but she generally wouldn't make a move on her own.

"And my two brothers-in-law?"

"They made several comments that could be taken as warnings about the future of the Lord of Calamity's authority. His is quite a complicated position."

In terms of official rank, Ricardo, the Lord of Calamity, was the highest. Yet his station was that of a commoner. And his wife was a princess. It was a complete mess.

Normally, even granting him all the land across the river, centered on the new city, and establishing a new ducal house would not be enough.

"Ricardo has barely shown his face here these past three years. In contrast to the new city's growth, his quietness is almost unsettling."

Ricardo has absolutely no regard for his own prestige. He insists on his position as a merchant. If he truly considers himself a merchant, my only choice is to assume the throne and change the very definition of one.

"The remnants of the old Second Prince Faction, the Kurtheite Faction, have split roughly in half to cozy up to my two brothers-in-law, Count Grynisias and Viscount Tembelg. And merchants whose businesses are affected by the new city have also approached them. It is likely a matter of needing to show their underlings that they can stand against him."

"It's their role to play, so a certain amount of it is unavoidable. It seems rumors are stirring, trying to create a rift between me and Ricardo."

"Yes, rumors of the Lord of Calamity's rebellion, intended to sow suspicion between Your Majesty and the Lord."

"If the problem could be solved by simply letting that place become an independent duchy, it would be a much easier matter."

"Your Majesty."

"I know. Anything else?"

"There was one problematic remark."

Yelberg lowered his voice.

"He said Alex should be kept in the Royal Capital? Is that what he said?"

I shot up from my seat. Ricardo wouldn't care how much he was mocked for his station or anything else. But...

"With the Lord of Calamity stationed so far away, it is a common-sense judgment to suggest his son be in the Royal Capital."

"I have rejected that opinion every time it has been raised. Ricardo will never forgive anyone who lays a hand on his family."

My older brother once arranged for the Empire to abduct Ricardo's young ward. For someone in his position, sacrificing a single commoner for his own gain was a normal act. He never imagined there would be retaliation for such a thing.

The only thing my brother had been wary of was his collusion with the Empire being exposed. But the result...

"It was merely a suggestion to have him in the Royal Capital for his education."

"I'll have to deny it in some form or another."

Things are difficult enough as it is. They just keep making more work for me.

The door opened and the Grand Chamberlain prompted me that it was time. Today's main event was about to begin, something incomparable to the mere coronation ceremony. In a way, I was looking forward to seeing how the magical reporting tool would be used.

And I was also looking forward to seeing how they responded to it. I put away the files on the few people I had investigated into the desk and stood up.

"Your Majesty, you have forgotten your crown."

Yelberg said. ◇◇

When I appeared in the hall, the attendees who had been standing at attention all knelt at once. It was a grand gesture, but since a king's primary role is to unite the nation's focus, I could not neglect it.

At the same time, I needed to speed everything up from now on. How to balance these two conflicting needs was a vexing problem.

The seats in the great hall were largely divided into two sections. In the front were the nobles. As this was a luncheon before the main banquet, attendance was limited to the younger generation.

Lined up at the tables in the back were the merchants, though as representatives of their respective guilds, they held honorary baronies. Hmm, so that's the new Carriage Guild, and over there is the representative of the brewing guild.

To my left and right, in the most prominent seats, were the sons of Grynisias and Tembelg. And my sisters. The members of Central Garden stood by the walls. I knew all their faces. I had even exchanged words with them.

Ricardo and Alfina were there as well. They were, in a sense, the hosts of this gathering. A cabinet minister standing alongside merchants. The problem wasn't his station, but the speed of information transmission that resulted from it.

Perhaps I should push for a drastic simplification of our ceremonies. Well, today's events will be a good basis for judgment.

"With the gracious presence of His Majesty, we shall now begin the luncheon. We are truly honored to be granted such a privilege."

Luiza was acting as the master of ceremonies. A fitting choice. She's the most reasonable one on that side.

"I have been looking forward to this. Everyone, think of this as a bite to eat between ceremonies. Please relax and enjoy yourselves."

At my words, my two brothers-in-law and their wives looked relieved. This meant the luncheon was only semi-official. They must have thought the banquet they had poured their efforts into was the real main event.

Can't they see Ricardo looks just as relieved as they do?

"First, please enjoy an aperitif. This is a gift from the Vinder Company of Central Garden."

I had been told the order of events, but it was Ricardo's turn right from the start. Now then, what would he bring out?

Tall, slender glasses were distributed to the tables. They were beaded with white condensation. The glasses themselves were chilled. Which meant, of course, that the drink was also chilled. For this many people, that alone was a considerable expense. The attendees were already starting to murmur.

Just then, Ricardo put his finger on the bottle's stopper. It was an oddly shaped cork. "Please be advised, it will make a sound," Ricardo said, and then popped the cork, aiming it toward the ceiling.

With a pon! sound, a wisp of white vapor rose. Then came the fizzing sound of bubbles. Ricardo caught the overflowing contents of the bottle in a glass.

Well, the hall was now split half and half between those with mocking expressions and those who were just confused. The head of the brewing guild... had a blank look on his face.

Of course he would. This wasn't ale. To the ordinary mind, this was wine that had failed to ferment properly.

Ricardo tilted his own glass back and drained it. A kind of poison tasting. Once finished, the bottle was handed to a server. And then, the sparkling wine was poured into the glass before me. All eyes in the hall focused on me. How I reacted to this strange wine was, in itself, a political act.

I took the glass in hand. Then I drained half of it in one go.

............

Even though I had anticipated something, for it to be this from the very beginning. If no one were watching, I would either be laughing out loud or holding my head in my hands.

The chilled liquid and the popping of bubbles spread through my mouth. A crisp acidity burst forth along with the ale-like foam. An indescribable taste, like a combination of wine's tartness and the zest of citrus, danced on my tongue.

And then, like the bubbles, the aftertaste vanished in an instant. Combined with the fact that it was chilled, it was likely the perfect drink for summer.

What are they going to do about the wine for the banquet? I believe the son of Grynisias recommended something, and the head of the brewing guild was to provide a prized bottle.

Everyone followed my lead. They put the glasses to their lips and cautiously took a sip. Some even choked. But they couldn't seem to stop themselves from taking the next sip. Ah, the head of the brewing guild's face has gone pale.

"This is truly delicious, Lord of Calamity. However, I believe this requires some explanation."

I said to Ricardo. It had to be explained. For my sake, and for everyone else in the hall.

"It is not so different from an ordinary wine. The basic principle is the same as ale."

Ricardo began his explanation with words that sounded almost like a challenge. He added sugar water to young wine to induce a second fermentation. He then purposely trapped the resulting ale-like bubbles inside the bottle.

After the second fermentation, the bottle is turned upside down, allowing the sediment to collect in the neck, which is then frozen. When the bottle is opened, only that frozen sediment can be removed. This, apparently, is how the clear, stimulating white wine we just drank was made.

I don't understand half of it.

The head of the brewing guild was wide-eyed. It was a method he had never heard of. It wasn't just about chilling it. The production process itself was predicated on the existence of that magical tool.

The noble attendees were aghast, calculating the cost of the method they had just heard described. Sugar, and enough ice to freeze the wine. By any normal measure, it was a luxury far beyond merely chilled wine.

Though many held a grudge against Ricardo, everyone was completely overwhelmed.

In a way, this was just as I had planned. But for things to go this far before the meal has even begun, what will happen next?